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Wednesday Morning Federal Newsstand

Written by Ruben Gomez Edited by Suzanne Kubota This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED: Management problems are jeopardizing efforts by the Office o...

Federal News Network Staff

April 22, 2009 8:29 am

2 min read

Written by Ruben Gomez
Edited by Suzanne Kubota

This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED:

Management problems are jeopardizing efforts by the Office of Personnel Management to modernize a retirement system for federal employees. That word comes from the Government Accountability Office. Auditors say the project, called RetireEZ, is still at risk of failure (pdf) despite serious efforts over the years. OPM has been trying to move from from a paper-based system to one that centers on technology.

The president’s picks to lead federal emergency response and immigration agencies continue their confirmation battles today. Craig Fugate is the nominee for FEMA administrator. He formerly led Florida’s emergency-management agency. And he’s expected to face questions from a Senate panel on hurricane preparedness and response. John Morton is the president’s choice to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He’s currently a senior official in the Justice Department. No word on when a vote could happen on either of the nominations.

The Obama administration plans to setup a new cyber command within the Defense Department. The Wall Street Journal Reports the command would coordinate defense for Pentagon computer networks. It would also improve cyber-offensive capabilities. Defense officials say the command will be unveiled in the next few weeks.

California Senator Dianne Feinstein wants to put armed security teams on some private American ships. She says it’s necessary to prevent pirate attacks. Now the move would be temporary until a more permanent prevention strategy is adopted. But Feinstein has sent a letter asking the president to make it happen. She’s also working on legislation to make the armed-security teams a requirement for US flagged vessels in pirate-infested waters.

The nomination of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius to lead Health and Human Services moves to the full Senate. A split Senate panel approved the nomination Tuesday. The vote was 15 to 8. One Republican member of the Panel voiced concern over Sebelius’ views on government involvement in private health care. And earlier some worried about her views on abortion. No word on when a full Senate vote could happen.